Eric Patrick
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has declared that Benjamin Netanyahu should step down, saying the long-serving leader bears significant responsibility for deepening divisions within the country.
In a televised interview with Israel’s Channel 12 aired on Saturday, Bennett said, “He has been in power for 20 years… that’s too much, it’s not healthy.”
The former prime minister, who briefly led Israel from 2021 to 2022, pointed to the country’s widening internal fractures, blaming Netanyahu for fueling polarisation.
“He bears heavy responsibility for the divisions in Israeli society,” Bennett said, as tensions remain high over Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war and broader national leadership.
“Netanyahu must go,” Bennett insisted during the interview.
In 2021, Bennett, then a right-wing politician joined a broad alliance of Netanyahu opponents to form a coalition that removed him from office after a 12-year stretch.
However, that coalition, co-led with opposition leader Yair Lapid, was short-lived and collapsed within a year, leading to snap elections that returned Netanyahu to power with support from far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
Although Bennett has stepped away from active politics, speculation about a possible return has intensified. Recent polls suggest he could potentially mount a viable challenge to Netanyahu.
The next general election is not scheduled until late 2026, though early elections are a frequent occurrence in Israeli politics.
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In the same interview, Bennett also claimed credit for setting the stage for Israel recent strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, saying, “The decision to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic was very good” and “needed.”
He argued that the groundwork for the operation was laid during his brief time in office.
Commenting on the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where Israel has continued military operations since the October 2023 Hamas attack, Bennett praised the armed forces but condemned the government’s leadership.
“The political management of the country was a catastrophe, a disaster,” he said, despite describing the military’s performance as “exceptional.”
He criticized the Netanyahu administration’s inability to decide and urged an immediate comprehensive deal to secure the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza.
“Leave the task of eliminating Hamas to a future government,” Bennett added, while sidestepping repeated questions about whether he intends to run for office again.